1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin case for an automobile, more particularly relates to a coin case for an automobile which is to be mounted on an upper surface of an instrument panel of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
A general coin case for an automobile is known as the structure shown in a Official Gazette for Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No.8-183403. As shown in figures, especially in FIG. 8 of the Official Gazette, the general coin case for an automobile is developed so as to be inserted into a slot of a cassette player or disc player mounted to the automobile into which a recording tape cassette or recording disc is inserted. The general coin case for an automobile includes: a casing formed with a plurality of independent cylindrical chambers to be sortingly loaded with a plural kind of coins; a plurality of springs inserted into the cylindrical chambers respectively; and a plurality of caps inserted into the cylindrical chambers and on the springs respectively. In the construction, each of the cap pushes up the loaded coins in the cylindrical chamber toward an opening end of the cylindrical chamber by a biasing force from the spring.
Accordingly, when the coins are required to be unloaded from the coin case, an original uppermost coin among the piled coins in the cylindrical chamber is drawn out from the opening so that the second piled coin becomes a continuous uppermost coin. By replaying the operation stated above, the piled coins are continuously drawn out from the opening, so that the plurality of the piled coins can be unloaded from the coin case.
On the contrary, when the coins are required to be loaded into the coin case, a coin to be loaded is inserted into the opening in such a manner that the coin pushes down the cap against the biasing force of the spring so as to be sandwiched by the cap and a stopping lip formed above the opening of the casing. In this manner, coins to be loaded are sortingly loaded into each of the cylindrical chambers of the coin case.
However, since a place where coins are temporally located is not provided in the general coin case, required numbers of coins belong to required plural kinds can not previously prepared. Therefore, the general coin case is not convenient for use to pay fees at a toll gate in a highway. In addition, coins of change from the toll gate should be directly loaded into the general coin case because the place where coins of change are temporally located is not provided in the general coin case. In this connection, the general coin case is not also convenient for receiving the coins of change at a toll gate in a highway.
The present invention has been achieved with such points in mind.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin case for an automobile comprising: a casing to be attached to a vehicle end, the casing being formed with a plurality of independent cylindrical chambers to be sortingly loaded with a plural kind of coins; and a coin tray connected to a side end portion of the casing, the coin tray including a bottom wall having a curved surface in a direction toward the plurality of independent cylindrical chambers from a place where is far from the coin case.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, as it depends from the first aspect, there is provided a coin case for an automobile further comprising: a plurality of springs inserted into the cylindrical chambers respectively; and a plurality of caps inserted into the cylindrical chambers and on the springs respectively, wherein each of the cap pushes up the loaded coins in the cylindrical chamber toward an opening end of the cylindrical chamber by a biasing force from the spring.
In the coin case for an automobile according to the first and second aspect of the present invention, since the coin tray is connected to the side end portion of the casing of the coin case, coins which are required to be paid can be temporally located on the coin tray after the coins are previously unloaded from the cylindrical chambers of the coin case and fallen down on the coin tray, prior to the payment of fees for a highway at a toll gate in the highway. In this connection, when a payer boarding on the automobile arrived at the toll gate, the payer can pay the fees smoothly without counting the number of the coins, thereby shortening the time to stay at the toll gate for the payment of the fees.
In addition, coins of change from the toll gate can also be temporally located on the coin tray after the payment of fees has been finished. The payer will be able to load the coins of change in such a manner that the coins of change are sortingly loaded into each of the cylindrical chambers of the coin case later, for example, during waiting a traffic signal, thereby further shortening the time to stay at the toll gate for the payment of the fees.
Furthermore, the payer can load the coins of change one by one in a manner such that the payer slides the coin on an upper surface of the curved bottom wall of the casing toward an opening end of the cylindrical chamber of the coin case with pushing the coin onto the upper surface of the curved bottom wall by only one finger, without picking up the coin from the upper surface of the curved bottom wall, thereby facilitating operations of loading coins of change into the coin case.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, as it depends from the first aspect, there is provided a coin case for an automobile further comprising: a lid swingably mounted to the casing so as to cover.the coin tray.
In the coin case for an automobile according to the third of the present invention, during the lid is shut so as to cover the coin tray, coins temporally located on the coin tray are prevented from dropping out of the coin tray even when the automobile is stopped with an emergency brake, thereby improving stocking status of the temporally located coins on the coin tray.